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Cougars put up a fight, but fall to Mount Hood champs

Barlow notches three goals to down Canby in the first round

The Canby girls soccer team kept the action moving up and down the field Saturday night, but couldnt pierce Barlows goal during a 3-0 loss in the opening round of the OSAA 6A state playoffs.

The Cougars held their own against a Barlow squad that hasnt lost in its last 14 outings, even pushing the pace over the first 15 minutes. Canby put together the first quality scoring chance of the night when Chloe Bell let loose with a blast from 30 yards out that put Bruins goalie Alex Qualls on the move.

The ball missed the far corner by a couple feet.

You never know how these matches will go, Barlow coach Jason Hubert said. I was nervous, especially during those first 20 minutes.

The Bruins eased their coaches nerves midway through the first half when Taylor Rispler won a ball in the midfield and fed it ahead to Bethany Leliefeld along the right side. She dribbled into open space and hit a shot and curved sharply off target. But the errant kick carried across to the far post where teammate Kiki Kjeldsen rushed onto the scene for a clean put away.

Canby had chances to tie the score when Olivia Baggerly lined up for back-to-back free kicks from 35 yards out. Both attempts were on target, but Qualls was in position to scoop them up on one hop.

Barlow took a 2-0 lead into the intermission after Leliefeld beat a pair of defenders and let loose with a quick shot from 30 yards out that skipped across the turf and beat the diving goalie into the side of the net.

I knew I was 1-on-1 with the goalie, so I took the first available shot and keep it on frame, Leliefeld said.

Canby had a chance to cut into the deficit late in the first half when Whitney Davis ran onto a ball about 40 yards out and made a quick strike off the bounce. Her shot was on target for the center of the goal, but Qualls retreated to the goal line and reached above her head to pull down the difficult save.

A heavy rainstorm hit the field for a 10-minute stretch in the second half that kept the action largely trapped in the midfield.

Canbys final scoring chance came shortly after the rains subsided when Bell made a long run through the middle and fed a ball ahead to Skylee Doman. Her shot was on target, but Qualls went to the turf to make the stop. An offsides flag also went up to cancel the attack.

Cougars goalie Heoniya Sharabarin spent halftime stretching out and blocking practice shots from one of the Canby coaches. The extra work paid off in the 57th minute when she left her feet to push a shot wide by Barlows Kayla Currin.

But the Bruins wouldnt be held at bay much longer.

Barlow put the game away when Kerri Cook sent a long clearance ball out of the back, allowing teammate Hailee Stotts to run onto it and bury a shot into the back of the net to make it 3-0 with 14:28 on the clock.